


From My First Steps...

by JaniceLikesStuff (janiceprouvaire), Sydlee3



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Marvel Universe, Warnings May Change, im not putting it in the mcu tag tho, it doesnt make sense there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-22 13:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7441339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janiceprouvaire/pseuds/JaniceLikesStuff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sydlee3/pseuds/Sydlee3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Captain America AU based on a picture I saw of Oikawa and Iwaizumi a while back... I can't find the op, and I won't be posting anything that's not mine, but it's cute.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is basically the beginning of an au where the Haikyuu characters are all different marvel superheroes. I have stories planned for basically every single character, and based on a lot of the marvel films, but this one focuses primarily on Seijou.  
> a couple of notes on this universe: Captain Japan doesn't really have a great ring to it, so I decided to have an alternate history where America has more of a Japanese influence in it from early on, so that's a thing. the way I see it, these Japanese Americans are more separated from their native Japanese counterparts, so there's less anti Japanese sentiments in the US. there are still dissidents against those Japanese Americans, but their voices are much smaller, as Japanese culture is more ingrained. please know that I'm not trying to erase or change the past to make it better, only to make this fic make more sense. We are both very aware of the atrocities that happened during WW2, and this fic is not meant to offend. Remember kids: Alternate Universe. :)

Oikawa Tooru was never one to stay down. After a lifetime of being beaten up, left behind, and discriminated against because of his size, he knew how to react: get back up, and keep on fighting. No matter how tired you are, how much it hurts, how easy it would be to just stay there, on the ground, you can’t stay down there, because if you do, then they win.

And a bully who wins is a bully who will come back again, and again, and again. 

But tire a bully out, and they’ll decide that you’re not worth it.

So that’s exactly what Oikawa did. He stood his ground in the alley, behind that tiny movie theater, telling the bully  _ du jour _ to come at him again, that he could do this all day. He stood there, a nervous sweat prickling his back and his hair almost covering his eyes, and trying not to let them see him shake.

But then, his savior came. A tall, dark man in an army uniform punched the guy square in the the jaw, knocking him out cold. Oikawa should have been terrified, but instead he felt as though an angel had descended from heaven. The man then gently ushered Oikawa back to their shared apartment to treat his wounds.

Or at least that’s what Oikawa hoped would happen. Not even close.

Iwaizumi punched the guy, but didn’t knock him out. The bully ran away, though, and that was even more humiliating. Oikawa was thankful that he got to see the look of shame, and astonishment, and utter embarrassment in his cruel, sad eyes.

Oikawa was not thankful for what came next.

“Oikawa, you can’t keep doing stuff like this. Someday, I’m not gonna be there, and you’re gonna get seriously hurt, and then what are you going to do?” There was a steely undertone to his voice, and a pleading look in his gray eyes. 

Oikawa shrugged, playing for nonchalance. “I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it.”

Trying to contain the bitterness and worry in his voice, he responded softly. “No you won’t. You’ll burn it down, and then burn the ashes.”

“Iwa-chan…” Oikawa whined, trying to pretend that his companion hadn’t meant it. “I’m smarter than that.”  
‘Iwa-chan’ cuffed him across his back and tried to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “No, you’re not.”

Pouting, Oikawa pretended to be wounded. “I’m still smarter than you.”

“Says the guy who’s volunteered for the army four times at four different stations with four different hometowns.” Something came over Iwa-chan’s voice and face that Oikawa could never seem to recognize, no matter how many times he saw it. 

“Five.”

His friend’s head snapped in his direction. “What?”

Sneering, Oikawa used a more snide tone than was really necessary. “Make that five times for all of them. I did it again the other night.”

Trying to contain his frustration, Iwaizumi barely stopped himself from punching the nearest wall, instead choosing to run his fingers through his dark hair. “Oikawa, that’s illegal. You’re going to get yourself arrested, or worse, you’ll actually get enlisted. Do you know how many of the people I’m with would kill to have been exempt from the draft?”

The conversation was tired, both of them having gone through the motions countless times; never a change in the outcome. “Iwa-chan, I want to fight! I feel so useless and selfish sitting back here doing nothing while every other man in the country is laying down their lives! What do you want me to do?”

Iwaizumi pretended to consider his answer. “Something safe, back here, where you won’t die. Work in a factory, or help to collect scrap metal.”

The pout returned. “Like a little kid?”

“No, not like a -” Iwaizumi stopped.

An underlying whine was starting to take over Oikawa’s voice. It was clear that his pleading wasn’t working, but he had to keep trying. “Exactly like a little kid. Iwa-chan, I can’t do this!”

This was always the point where Iwaizumi snapped. “Oikawa, you should be glad! You don’t have to train, or fight, or die, or worry about any of that. Besides, you’ll have every woman in New York at your feet, since all the other men are gone.”

This was always the point where Oikawa raised his volume to match Iwaizumi’s regardless of where they were and who was watching. “I mean, you’re right there, but it’s not fair to everyone else that I get to stay here. Why should I get out of fighting? I’m an American, as much as you, or any soldier.”

Iwaizumi shook his head, calming himself. Both of them knew that it wasn’t worth it to take this argument any further. “You’re an idiot, you know that?” Wrapping his arm around his friend’s shoulder, the two started walking. “Come on, let’s go home. The World Fair’s tonight, and I’m leaving tomorrow morning. Let’s spend one last night together.”

\---

“I can’t believe you brought girls.” Iwaizumi’s terse voice cut through Oikawa’s pleasant party buzz like a knife. 

“I can’t believe the girls I brought are hanging all over you, Iwa-chan.”

Knowing that he probably wouldn’t get an answer, he asked again. “Why did you bring girls?”

This time, Oikawa at least dignified him with a response. “You were whining about not having girls overseas, so I thought a double date would cheer you up. I didn’t think both girls would be so into you and your ugly face.”

Iwaizumi tried to disguise his irritation. “I wasn’t whining about it. It was just a reason to be happy that you can stay back, so that this stuff doesn’t happen.”

“Iwa-chan~” the two girls’ voices chorused. “Come on, Kuroo-san is showing off a new invention! We wanna see it!”

Clearly visibly agitated by the nickname, Iwaizumi did his best to be a gentleman and restrain himself. “Don’t call me that. And if you care that much, go see it yourself.”

“But that’s not the same…” the blonde hung from Iwaizumi’s arm, trying to pull him along, and failing miserably. 

“I’m sure Oikawa would love to take one of you as well.” He tried not to blurt out loud that he may even want to take both of them.

Both girls looked at each and giggled. “But we want you, Iwaizumi-san…”

Oikawa audibly guffawed at that, turned on one heel and walked, rather dramatically, away.

“Oikawa, wait,” Iwaizumi said, beginning to run off. He turned back to the girls for a moment. “Stay here for a minute. I’m gonna go get him.”

\---

Iwaizumi tried to keep the worry and fear for his friend out of his voice. “Oikawa, don’t do this. You’re just gonna be disappointed again.”

Oikawa sighed. “Iwa-chan, you don’t understand. I know that there’s something I can do, and I’m gonna figure out what that is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get ready.”

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi said, voice firm. Oikawa turned around to face his friend. “I swear to God, if you get arrested, I’m gonna kill you.”

Oikawa made a peace sign before turning around and heading back to the front desk. “I won’t, don’t worry.” After all, he never had.

\---

“Wait here for a minute.”

Oikawa’s mind began to race. Why was he getting left alone? This wasn’t procedure, and Oikawa knew procedure. He looked around the room, hoping for an open folder or a sign, or something to let him know what was happening.

Then he saw it. Big red letters hanging from a sign on the wall, stating that “It is illegal to falsify your enlistment form”. If it’s illegal once, then it’s definitely illegal to do it five times. He began putting his shoes on, ready to leave as quickly as possible, whether that was to jail or otherwise. A military policeman entered the curtain and simply stood, glaring holes through Oikawa, who somehow managed to shrink even smaller than he already was. 

Oikawa had never been a strong guy. Due to a multitude of illnesses he had been born with, he had grown up weak, managing to be smaller than everyone else. His weak and seemingly nerdy stature made him a target for bullies everywhere, but after twenty-one years of living with it, he had figured out how to use it to his advantage. Girls loved it, hanging all over him and calling him ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’, until Iwaizumi came, and they changed their attentions to the more attractive of the two. 

Oikawa was pulled out of his thoughts by the arrival of a military policeman. The man didn’t say anything, not bothering to look at the scrawny boy in front of him. Oikawa sat still after that, one shoe on, until another man entered the examination area. 

“Get out,” he said to the policeman, who obliged right away. 

The man was heavyset and strong, but had obviously had a hard life, with worry lines set into his face. He had to have been forty-five years old at least, and wore a lab coat over a simple black suit, impeccably dressed and spotless. 

“Oikawa Tooru,” he began, flipping through his folder. “Where are you really from? You’ve given six different places on your enlistment forms.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I just feel like I have to do something for the war, and I keep getting reject-”

“I didn’t ask why you lied. I just want to know where you’re really from.”

Oikawa felt his face getting warm, and mentally willed himself to suppress the blush. “B-Brooklyn, sir.”

He nodded, seemingly unbothered. “Uh-huh… and why do you want to kill Nazis?”

Oikawa was slighlty taken aback. “I don’t.”

At this, the man cocked his head to the side. “Then why do you want to be a soldier? If you don’t want to kill anyone, then don’t join the army.”

“But I want to help. They’re bullies, sir, and I want to stop them. If that means killing them, then I’ll kill them. But I don’t want to join to kill Nazis - I want to join to protect my country.”

The man nodded, frowning slightly, obviously lost in thought.

After a few moments of looking through Oikawa’s file, he looked up at him. “You passed.”

“What? Was that a test?”

The man smiled pacifyingly. “Yes. My name is Irihata Noboteru, and I’m a scientist for the US. We’re in the final stages of a very important development, and you’re going to be my choice for a candidate.”

\---

That next morning, Iwaizumi left for Europe, with no idea that Oikawa’s application had finally been accepted. 

\---

After seeing his best friend off, Oikawa went about his “normal” day one last time before leaving for training. He got beat up in an alley (not a big surprise), and then walked to his sister’s house.

She was disappointed and angry, and the sisterly tone in her voice was like a knife in his heart. “Tooru, why are you doing this? This isn’t what Mom and Dad would have wanted.”

That had been a low blow, and she’d known it. “Dad died fighting for this country, Haruki.”

She worried her lower lip with her teeth, and twirled a strand of her chocolatey hair. “And you saw how that affected Mom. Tooru, if you died, then you’d be leaving Takeru and I behind all alone.”

Oikawa didn’t really appreciate how guilty she was trying to make him feel. “Ruki-chan, I need to do this. I have the chance to do something to really help our country, and I’m going to take that chance. I don’t want to leave you behind, but I can’t do nothing.”

Haruki threw on the exasperated look that seemed to follow him like a dog. “Then help back here! God knows we need it.”

Oikawa paused, and his dedication flickered, but he was too far in to turn back now. “I can’t. I can do more.”

Haruki sighed. “I’m not going to be able to change your mind, am I?”

Oikawa shook his head, smiling to himself. “Never.”

“Fine. Takeru,” she called out, getting the boy’s attention. “We’re going out to dinner with Uncle Tooru tonight. He’s leaving, just like Dad did, so we need to say goodbye.”

At this, Takeru’s eyes widened, and he dropped the toy he’d been fiddling with. “You’re leaving like Dad, Uncle Tooru? Are you… are you gonna die, too?” the boy’s eyes welled up with tears as he looked up at his uncle.

Heart sufficiently melted by the love and affection of his nephew, Oikawa tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. “Of course not, silly,” Oikawa said, smiling. “I wouldn’t leave my best man behind.”

Takeru laughed at that. He stood up and started tugging on Oikawa’s arm. 

“Takeru,” Haruki giggled. “Wash up, first!”

The boy sighed. “Fine, Mom…” He ran off in the direction of the kitchen sink.

Haruki looked back at him, and made a last ditch attempt to talk him out of his decision. “Tooru, you can still go back on this. Please, don’t do it.”

But Oikawa only shook his head, trying to convey his dedication in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ruki-chan. I have to. I promise, I’ll make it back to you.”

She simply turned away. “You’d better.”

Even though she tried to hide it, Oikawa could see the subtle shaking of her shoulders, and knew that she was crying. He put a hand on her back, rubbing circles into it like she’d done to him when they were little. 

“Ruki-chan, when have I ever lied to you?”

She turned to him, the unmistakable redness at the corners of her eyes and slight red tinge to her nose abolished any pretense that she hadn’t been crying. “Well, there was that time when you said that my bow had gotten lost when you really just stuck it on the neighborhood cat.”

Oikawa shrugged, trying desperately to remember the incident. He failed. “Well, okay there was that one time. But when else?”

Haruki started to count off the various times on her fingers. “You also told me that that cupcake was made of vanilla, when you really just glued together some sponges. And there was that time when you managed to convince me that Santa had come to visit us, when it was really just a homeless man breaking in on Christmas.”

Trying not to wince, Oikawa replied. “Okay that one wasn’t funny. And actually kind of scary. Yeah, so there were a few times. But have I ever lied to you about something serious?”

Haruki shrugged. “I guess you haven’t...”

Oikawa placed his hands on her shoulders, and forced her to look him in the eye. “Then you know I’m not lying about this. I’m going to come back to you and Takeru, and everything’s going to be fine.”

The tears that Haruki had fought down rose again, and flowed shamelessly down her face.. Oikawa pulled her into a hug, barely suppressing a sob of his own. They stayed like that, until they heard the pattering footsteps of Takeru. The two of them broke apart, and Haruki dismissed herself to clean up before dinner. 


	2. Chapter 2

“It’s been eighteen years since someone’s gotten that flag down, but if one of you can bring it to me, you can take a ride back to the base with me. Understood?” His voice was rough, and grated against the ears of the soldiers.

None of the recruits bothered replying, and instead swarmed the flag pole, desperately trying to climb it in order to grab the flag. The mass of arms and legs formed an amoeba, as they stepped on each other to get the leverage they needed in order to get to the top.

General Mizoguchi and Irihata sat on their truck, watching the group struggle for the flags, with the same resignation and acceptance that they used to embrace every other challenge.

“That’s it, time’s up,” Mizoguchi barked when it was clear that no one was going to get the flag down. “Back in your lines.”

Oikawa, however, waited for the recruits to move on. When all of the others were back in formation, he walked up close to the flagpole, looking up and down, surveying it.

“Oikawa, get back in line, now!”

The brunette kneeled at the bottom of the flagpole and twisted out only a few screws. With a dramatic tap to the side of the flagpole, he stood to the side as it fell to the ground with a clatter. After picking up the fallen flag, he walked over to the truck and handed it to Mizoguchi, before delicately and dramatically boosting himself into the back

Irihata and Mizoguchi looked at each other, in silent conversation, and then began to drive off. Oikawa turned around in his seat and stuck his tongue out at the group of recruits. 

Before any of them could react, the drill sergeant was yelling in their faces to get running again.

\---

“You’re not seriously considering picking  _ him _ , right?” The snarky tone was laced with disdain.

“No. I  _ am  _ picking him. He’s the obvious choice.” 

“One more test.”

“Fine.” Irihata sighed, and held his hands up in surrender. “One more test, your choice. He’ll pass. I'm sure of it.”

Mizoguchi pulled a grenade out of his pocket and pulled the pin. He threw it towards the group of recruits doing jumping jacks.

“Grenade!” he shouted. Nearly every single recruit in the area reacted in the same way - running behind the nearest cover, fists clenched and teeth gritted. 

As usual, Oikawa was the odd one out. In an instant, he was wrapped around the grenade, protecting his comrades from death.

Shouts of “It’s just a dummy” and “Dumbass is trying to get himself killed” echoed in the background, but Irihata looked at Mizoguchi meaningfully. 

“A good man.”

\---

“Can’t sleep?” Irihata strolled into his bunk, carrying some liquor and two glasses.

“I -” Oikawa sighed heavily. “No. Not really.”

“Neither can I. I brought some alcohol. Here.”

Oikawa took the proffered glass. “Thanks, Irihata.” He held it out expectantly, waiting for it to be filled, and Irihata reciprocated. Before Oikawa could take a sip, however, Irihata had stolen it from his lips.

“What am I thinking? You have a procedure tomorrow. No liquids.” Irihata’s voice was gruff.

“Oh…” Oikawa’s face fell. “Afterwards, then,” he smiled pleasantly, already looking forward to it.

With a snort, Irihata took a long sip. “No way, I’m drinking it now. I don’t have any procedures.”

Irihata drank both glasses, and then the two sat in silence for a few moments.

“Why me?” Oikawa’eyes flashed to his superior, trying to read his face. 

“What?” Irihata’s eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

Oikawa repeated the question, trying not to sound rude or too self deprecating. “Why’d you pick me as your candidate? Why am I different than anyone else?”

Irihata looked away, as though he didn’t want to answer. “I thought you wanted to be part of the army. I was giving you that chance. If you changed your mind, I can always pick someone else.”

Backtracking furiously, Oikawa replied. “No, no, no! Please, I want to do this! But you had so many more choices, and those guys probably followed orders better than I did. Why me?”

Irihata sighed heavily, and his shoulders curved inwards as if to stop the seemingly innocent questions from reaching his ears. “Oikawa, I didn’t want someone who followed orders. I wanted someone who could lead, who was smart, and above all, someone who had a good heart. You have exactly that, Oikawa.”

“But -”

“I had a student a few years ago. He thought he knew more than me, and he tried using the serum on himself. It worked, but everything in him was magnified. His muscles, his brain, sure, but also his morals. His heart, and the good and evil in him. Before the serum, he was a good kid, but afterwards, he had changed. It was only then that I realized that he wasn’t good the entire time - he was just hiding it. Not too long afterwards, he defected to the Axis Powers, since there, he could do practically anything he wanted.” Towards the end, Irihata’s voice started to drop off, and he looked to be in pain at the memory. His eyes flashed towards the bottle again, and he poured himself another drink.

Oikawa didn’t reply for a few moments, and tried to stop his voice from shaking. “That won’t happen to me, will it?” 

After taking a sip, Irihata wiped at the corners of his mouth. “Did you hear a word I said? That’s exactly why I picked you.”

“Oh… right…” Oikawa laughed and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

“Don’t worry, Oikawa, I’m sure you’re going to be fine. I wouldn’t be doing this if there was a doubt in my mind.”

\---

The ride to the lab was uneventful. The lab itself, however, was anything but.

When Oikawa got there, the military policeman who escorted him nearly shoved him into a small pawnshop not ten blocks from the apartment he had grown up in. Inside, an old lady stood behind the registers idling peacefully.

“Nice weather out today, huh?” The tone of the woman’s voice was cordial and pleasant, and wouldn’t have revealed anything if there were to be an audio tap.

“Yes,” the policeman said, a smile curling at the corners of his lips. “But I always carry an umbrella.”

The woman’s smile fell slightly, a crack in the mask. “Through that doorway. Godspeed to you, young man.”

Oikawa smiled at her awkwardly as the policeman pushed him through the door.

Inside was the most organized room Oikawa had seen in his life. It was entirely metal, with giant consoles surrounding a strange pod. Behind one, examining a thick folder, (probably Oikawa’s), was Irihata and Kuroo Toshio, the famed inventor and weapons provider.

“Get down there,” the policeman said to Oikawa. He complied nearly instantaneously, tired of waiting to join with the people he knew instead of awkwardly hanging around with those people who he had just met.

“Hey, Irihata.” He sauntered up to his superior as casually as possible, flashing his most easygoing grin.

Irihata greeted him with a hearty pat on the back. “Oikawa Tooru, the man of the hour. Meet Kuroo Toshio. He’s helped me with all of the technology needed for this experiment.”

“Hello, sir.” Oikawa gave a small bow of acknowledgement. 

The scientist reached out to shake his hand. “Don’t be so stiff, Oikawa. Just call me Toshio, please.”

“Uh, okay, T-Toshio…” 

“Nervous, huh? I think we all are. There are some very important people in that room up there.” Toshio pointed up to a room with a giant mirror over it.

“A transparent mirror. Don’t want us seeing in. Probably so that we can’t stress out over whoever’s in there.”

“Oikawa, over here.” Irihata beckoned to Oikawa as he stood by the pod. “Get up in there. I’ll strap you in.”

“It’s so big…”

“Yeah. You’re gonna be too, in a few minutes. Get up there,” he said, motioning to the pod. 

“Are you scared?” Oikawa asked, stepping on to the platform at the bottom of the pod.  
“Me? Of course I am. If you aren’t, then I’d be worried.”

Oikawa nodded and leaned back, allowing Irihata to pull the thick leathery straps over his arms and legs. As a nurse shot him with a needle, Irihata patted Oikawa’s chest just over his heart, and through the brave face he was wearing, Oikawa could see traces of fear. 

“You’re a good man, Oikawa. Don’t lose that heart.”

“Yes, sir.”

The pod closed around Oikawa and he felt his chest getting tight. He prayed for the asthma attack he knew was coming to hold off until it wouldn’t happen, and focused on Irihata’s voice outside.

“Thank you all for coming to view this experiment. We’ll start right away.”

He knocked on the outside of the pod. “You ready, Oikawa?”

“It’s too late to use the bathroom, right?”

“He’s good. Start it up, Kuroo-san.”

Ten thick needles stuck into his arms, five on either side. Oikawa winced at that, but knew the worst was still to come. 

“Kuroo-san, start the Vita-Rays in three… two… one…”

Oikawa was engulfed in a strange light. His muscles all began tingling in tandem, the sensation growing with the light. He tried to focus on Toshio’s voice, outside of the pod, like he had so many times with that of Iwaizumi, but when he heard him yell, “Eighty percent!”, it was too much. He let out a cry of pain at the sensation, but there was no change in the heightening rays until he really started yelling, and then it was only a stop in the rise.

“Oikawa!” he heard from outside. “Oikawa, are you okay?”

He tried to force out a reply, but nothing came of it.

“Shut it down! Shut it down, Kuroo!”

“No!” Oikawa finally forced out through the pain. “No… I… I can do this,” he panted, barely able to breathe as is.

There was silence outside of the pod for a moment, and then Irihata’s voice rang out. “Keep it up, Kuroo-san. Keep going.”

“Are - are you sure?” Toshio did not sound sure.

“Yes. I know he can do it.” Oikawa winced, inside the pod, hoping that he could live up to his instructor’s dreams.

“Ninety percent. One-hundred perce- aah!”

The machine began shorting out, and Oikawa felt all of the pain drain out of his body. He panted as the pod lowered and opened. It was only now that he started to feel the differences in his body. He was about a foot taller than before, his arms and legs were more toned, and his stomach and chest were hard and taut with muscles. The straps that went across his chest had snapped during his sudden growth, and he could breathe. That was probably the most amazing part. Even with the heavy breaths that accompanied the pain he had just been in, he felt enough air finally reaching his lungs.

“Oikawa,” Irihata said, helping him down from the pod. “How do you feel?”

“Amazing,” Oikawa replied, taking a shirt from a nurse standing by. 

“That’s good. Feel like you could take on the entire German army?”

“Easily.”

Irihata laughed. “Don’t get your hopes up, kid. Here, you should really start greeting people.”  
Oikawa nodded, brushing a hand through his hair.

Mizoguchi from the training camp was the first to greet him. “Are you sure you’re Oikawa? This wasn’t a switch-out?”  
“As sure as the ground beneath us.”

Oikawa continued greeting people, shaking their hands and wishing for a moment to himself to put a pair of shoes on. He had just greeted yet another reporter when the viewing box exploded.

The explosion caught everyone in the room off-guard, excluding one man, who pulled out a gun and shot Irihata in the chest three time. The entire group of soldiers could only helplessly watch him grab the last vial of serum and escape back out, through the pawnshop, only Mizoguchi in pursuit.

Oikawa rushed over to his where his benefactor, teacher, and (dare he say it) friend laid, bleeding out quickly, color draining from his cheeks and onto the floor beneath them. 

All Irihata could do was point to Oikawa’s heart and faintly smile. Oikawa swore he could see the life leave his eyes. It was at that moment that he knew exactly what to do.

Pushing through the jumbled crowd within the lab, Oikawa ran out of the pawnshop, passing the bleeding body of the woman who had let him in in the first place, a heavy machine gun frozen in her hands.  _ Poor lady _ , he thought.  _ Hopefully she got a couple good shots in _ .

He glanced around outside, no secret German spy in sight.

“Oikawa!” Mizoguchi was pointing down the street at a bright yellow taxi. “He’s in that one. Get him!”

Oikawa nodded and started running in the direction of the taxi. Despite crashing into a store window or two, he caught up with the car surprisingly quickly and, using another car as a springboard, jumped on top of it. Narrowly avoiding the bullets that the driver shot up through the roof (that was just dumb luck), Oikawa managed to distract him enough so that he crashed into a wall at the docks.

During the twenty seconds that Oikawa was stunned, the spy ran in the direction of the water, and after grabbing a small boy as a hostage on the way, disappeared behind a wall. Oikawa ripped the door off the taxi and ran in pursuit of the man, doing his best to ignore the screaming mother of the boy.

He found the two stumbling down the docks, facing Oikawa. Holding up the door like a shield, Oikawa rushed them, forcing the spy to throw the boy into the harbor and run off towards the water, jumping into an open submarine, the vial slipping out of his pocket and breaking on the stones beneath their feet.

“Go get him!” the boy yelled, his bright orange hair plastered to his face as he casually treated the water. “I can swim!”

Oikawa nodded and jumped onto the back of the retreating submarine, barely catching it. He pulled himself around to the front and forced it open, shoving the spy out. He threw him on to the docks and then got out himself.

Before Oikawa could say anything, the man sweeped a tooth out and bit it. His mouth began foaming.

“Cut off one head, and another will take its place.  _ Heil Hydra _ .”

The foam pushed out of his mouth, and hit the concrete with a splattering sound. It spewed everywhere, down his shirt and into the ocean. Oikawa didn't stick around to watch.

\---

“Please, sir. I need to go to the front lines. It’s what he would have wanted.” Oikawa’s voice was pleading, and desperate, but no one seemed to listen to him. 

“Yeah, but it’s not what we need. You die, and we lose all of the serum that we have left. You’re the key to the future, Oikawa. You’re all the hope we have left.”

Oikawa sighed bitterly. They had a point. “But-”

“You’re still helping out, and in a much bigger way than picking up scrap metal. Plus, you’ll be making a lot of kids happy, Captain America.”

The nickname set him bristling. “Please, don’t call me that.”

The man chuckled, and stared off into the distance like he would give anything to trade places with Oikawa. “You have tons of girls fawning over you, and you get to punch Hitler every single night.”

“Maybe I wanna punch the real Hitler…” he muttered under his breath. 

“Look, as soon as we can figure out the serum, you can move to the front lines. Until then, though, you’re staying back here. Where it’s safe.”

Oikawa sensed that he wasn’t going to make any more progress with this gusto he put on his prizewinning smile, and walked out on stage.


End file.
